Retribution
A Short Maple Story Drabble by Kal Ancalas
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Author's Note: Yesterday, my beloved bowman, ZerPheonix74, became a level 40 hunter. Huzzah! Now I can wear my Red Distinction and my +7 Vaulter 2000 with pride!
But that aside, this is a short story that roughly parallels what Zer has gone through. Despite the fact that I made up about half of it, it's still a good anecdote to amuse yourself with. I'd recommend it for young archers who keep getting Ksed (kill steal) as a nice heartwarming tale.
Enjoy, and happy Mapling.
-Kal Ancalas
P.S: My current project is my Fox, Roy, and Yoshi series. The Iliad of Bera will not be updated until May, perhaps June. Sorry for the delay.
Level 5
The young aspiring boy set along the path that led to Southperry. From there, he could take a ship and he'd be in Victoria Island. Where all his dreams would be fulfilled.
He remembered the day he'd first set out, as clearly as if it had been set in stone. He'd wished his mother a good day, kissed his little sister on the cheek, and headed out, sword in hand.
The calm wind ruffled his disheveled blonde hair and his loose T-shirt. He smiled, slashing at the snails that he passed. He was somewhat annoyed that his damage was low for a level 5 beginner, but it didn't matter. Just 3 levels more and he would become one of the bowmen of Henesys.
All in due time, he thought as he struck. One hit, 4 damage. Another hit, 5 damage. The last hit, 6 damage. Wham. The snail was dead. He picked up its cracked shell and set off.
He adjusted the red headband on his forehead and continued. Another blue snail? No problem. Two hits and it lay dead on the path. He felt a surge of energy flow through him as he entered the next level, level 8. 5 points into DEX. 5 points toward his ultimate goal.
Then, his eyes caught a flash of crimson. Red? Yes, red! A red snail! Perfect. He set towards the snail at a quick pace, preparing to exact justice on it.
Suddenly, another appeared with a black-shaded knife. A fruit knife. He leaped onto the red snail, and struck. 21 damage. 25 damage. The snail let out a cry of pain as its life was forfeit.
"Wha…?" The aspiring boy stared. This guy's damage was phenomenal.
"For your information, I'm training to be a warrior." The stranger smirked, then headed towards Southperry, watched carefully by the still-speechless beginner.
He should have heeded that omen.
Level 12
Now slightly older, the same teenager stood on the fields of Henesys, watching his prey. From Southperry, he had ridden the ship to Lith Harbor, and then taken a quick ride to Henesys from there. Then, he went to Athena Pierce and was presented with the title of archer. After that, euphoric in his eagerness, he sped off to the store and purchased a blue War Bow, and a set of arrows.
He quickly became accustomed to the bow as time wore on. Soon, he enjoyed the feeling of releasing the string as his arrows sailed through the air. His Skill Points were carefully conserved and allotted into various categories. Critical Shot. Arrow Blow. Double Shot. It quickly became a whirl in his mind as he reached for another arrow.
He stood back and struck. The arrow zinged through the air and hit the slime right between the eyes. 21 damage. Not bad. Pleased with himself, he prepared to fire again at the other monsters.
Suddenly, a mage, estimated to be about level 15, leaped seemingly out of nowhere and shouted words that would haunt the poor archer forever.
"MAGIC CLAW!"
Blue blades of energy ripped through the air and instantly killed the slime. The archer tried to fire, but the magician's damage quickly outnumbered his. 46...40...37...42...There seemed to be no end to the numbers.
Finally, when the mage stopped to catch breath, he quickly loosed an arrow at the nearest mushroom.
The arrow hit for a measly 9 damage. As the archer stared, the magician finished off the mushroom with another Magic Claw and smirked, heading off towards the east.
Level 18
The bowman dashed and darted through the bushes, firing incessantly at the monsters. Snails, stumps, slimes…all fell at a simple flick of his wrist. His aim, his range and his ability had all greatly improved, and his wooden War Bow had been traded in for a metal Composite Bow. Climbing on top of a small haystack, he prepared to fire.
However, two shards of blackened steel flew out of nowhere and intercepted his attack, killing a mushroom. Huh? Where'd that come from?
The question was quickly answered when a black-clothed thief stepped out of the shadows and added another two words to the archer's list of hated phrases.
"LUCKY SEVEN!"
Two more stars flew out and slaughtered a slime. The archer watched in disbelief as the thief easily picked off the targets one by one. Angrily, he used Double Shot, but his one kill was nothing compared to the 4 or 5 kills the assassin had racked up.
The assassin flashed some Kumbis in the archer's face. "Hah! Better luck next time, you noob." He dashed away before the bowman could retaliate. Angrily, he settled for giving a rock a severe beating with his foot. Why was it called Lucky Seven if it was so unlucky for him?
Level 23
Older and faster, the bowman fired coolly into the midst of pigs that surrounded him. Finally, a place where he could get some peace and quiet without being harassed by others. He wove through the squealing animals, stopping occasionally to fire his deadly projectiles at any suitable target.
92 damage…78 damage…Yes! A critical! 142 damage! The numbers flashed through his mind as he picked up the spoils from the dead pigs. Nothing was going to stand in his way, unless…
He relaxed. This was a hidden passage, after all. For all he knew, people barely came here. Why let this thought interfere with his training? Eagerly, he nocked an arrow to the string and prepared to fire a salvo at a group of ribbon-donning pigs near him.
A flash of silver leaped down from a nearby ledge, sword in tow. The edge of his blade charged with energy as the warrior declared his attack.
"SLASH BLAST!"
The sword cut through the line of pigs like a hot knife through butter, as the archer's arrows sliced through thin air and stuck into a nearby ledge. Eagerly, the warrior rushed to his reward. "Yes! A Dankke! Take that, bowman!" He flashed a cruel smile and used a return scroll, no doubt to avoid incurring the now-furious bowman's wrath.
Growling obscenities, the archer picked up a red bow left behind by the warrior. Sometimes, he wondered if it was worth it.
Level 26
The archer carefully eyed the green and blue horned mushrooms trotting around the forest-caverns of Ellinia. His Critical Shot had advanced to the point where he could easily fire an arrow into a monster's heart with minimal fuss. He enjoyed the feeling of energy that flowed through him as he struck with deadly aim. They fell, one after the other. Nothing to it.
He leaped lightly from one fungus ledge to the other, gently weaving past the monsters and shooting them with his flashy, new Battle Bow. 150 damage. 200 damage. 250 damage. In that moment, the archer was God.
But moments don't last forever. A dark-haired mage, wearing a Green Matty and wielding a Fairy Wand, burst through a hole in the trunk and interrupted the archer's respite from reality.
"THUNDER BOLT!"
Blue-white blasts of lightning erupted from the mage's wand and struck down the fungi for massive damage, leaving the archer flabbergasted. That was…impossible! What kind of cheap, dirty attack was that? Furiously, he prepared to lash out with his Double Shot, but just as soon as the mushrooms respawned, the wizard coolly struck them down again and again.
Finally, the archer, red-faced in his frustration, crept out through the hole. As he left, he heard the mage mutter:
"Stupid bowmen. They'll never learn."
Level 30
A familiar figure headed past the gates of Henesys to the dungeon entrance. It was the same archer with the same blonde hair and the same, usually docile personality. Usually, that is, until some irate jerk decided to have some fun and KS the crap out of him.
But not today. This morning, he had bought a shiny Ryden (which severely thinned out his money a bit) and easily passed the entrance exam to become a hunter. After about ten minutes of bringing down Zombie Mushrooms and Evil Eyes, the instructor declared herself satisfied and sent him on his way with a Proof of a Hero.
After a quick scene, the hunter left Athena Pierce's feeling on top of the world. No one could touch him. Not with his newly acquired Arrow Bomb, anyway. Eagerly, he set out towards the Ant Tunnel to test out his powerful new technique on some unsuspecting mushrooms.
He arrived at Sleepywood rather uneventfully and slid into the Ant Tunnel, itching with anticipation. Double Shot! Double Shot! The mushrooms fell and withered away as the proud hunter collected his spoils. He ventured deeper into the bowels of the dungeon.
He should have quit while he was ahead.
He had not killed one mushroom when suddenly a small party consisting of a level 45 Cleric and a level 42 Assassin leaped down and began their massacre.
"LUCKY SEVEN!"
"HEAL!"
"LUCKY SEVEN!"
"HOLY ARROW!"
The destruction was swift and thorough. Not one monster had managed to escape death as the assassin, now using Haste, collected his reward. The hunter, grinding his teeth, waved his bow threateningly at the pair.
"You…wait…" He seethed. "You just wait…Someday…"
"What are you going to do? Wave an arrow at us, brat?" Both of the characters grinned.
The hunter launched his Arrow Bomb, and a small explosion occurred. However, most of the monsters emerged fairly unscathed.
"Wh…what?" He stared helplessly.
Both the cleric and assassin were laughing their butts off. "You know, you might want to use something higher than a Level 1 Arrow Bomb!" the cleric hooted, right before healing the undead fungi to death.
The archer raked his sweaty brow helplessly, as tears began to form at the corner of his eyes. He didn't dare cry, though. He waited until the pair of cretins had left before doing so.
Level 37
A figure with a blue Pole-Feather Hat cocked on his forehead and a Red Viper clutched in his fist stood in the shadows of the Ant Tunnel, slaughtering monsters with relative ease. All of his Skill Points had been invested in Arrow Bomb, which he painfully recounted the encounter with the cleric and assassin. His Critical Shot and Double Shot, combined, resulted in an assault of about 1000 damage. He smiled. He was invincible. Nothing could stop him.
Suddenly, he noticed a female bowman of about Level 25 or so on the ledge underneath him, quietly sniping away at the mushrooms. A quick thought floated into his mind:
"She's kinda cute."
Eager to show off, he leaped down and proceeded to viciously slaughter the monsters one by one, using his Double Shot and getting quite a few criticals along the way. When the dust cleared, not one monster was left alive.
He smiled and turned to the girl, but he was rather surprised to find her in tears.
"Wha…huh?" he asked, confused.
"You meanie!" she cried, pointing an accusing finger at him.
"Aww, is this guy bothering you, cutie? Don't worry, I can teach him a lesson." A level 53 bandit with long, black hair and a battle scar leaped down, brandishing a curved dagger.
"SAVAGE BLOW!"
Our poor protagonist gaped as the bandit proceeded to seamlessly annihilate the monsters that surrounded him. 6 hits, flowing and blending into one another, each one doing about 500 damage. The bowman didn't need more than a second to figure out that he was being out-damaged by a hell of a lot.
Finally, as if to add insult to injury, the hunter unleashed a Double Shot at a nearby zombie mushroom, but was interrupted by Savage Blow. As the mushroom withered, it dropped a White Piette.
My level 40 armor…No, no! NO!
His thoughts were useless as the bandit picked it up. "Come on, cutie. Let's get out of here." Both characters departed, leaving the hunter in a pit of despair.
Level 44
A figure stood on a stone in Orbis Cloud Park, shooting Jr. Lioners. If anyone had bothered to look closely, they would have seen that the figure was a blonde-haired hunter, wearing a Red Distinction, a White Piette, and armed with a Vaulter 2000.
He did get the White Piette in the end. It's just that he ended up shelling out 80,000 mesos, his entire life savings, for it. Now, he was in the Garden of Yellow, hoping to find a 60 percent bow scroll for his beloved weapon. His Arrow Bomb was now completely maxed and was seeking its targets quickly and efficiently.
The damage numbers flew around him, displaying his critical hits, but he ignored them. All that mattered was the scroll. He had been standing here for at least half a day. Eventually, someone was bound to cut him some slack.
Then, he appeared. Another mage. The hunter saw him out of the corner of his eye, hoping that he wouldn't be noticed.
However, when you're blowing up monsters with loud, flashy bombs, it's hard not to be noticed. As though attracted, the wizard teleported over and began to attack.
"COLD BEAM!"
Normally, in another situation, the bowman would have quietly left and no one would be the wiser. But the mage was a seasoned battler and each piece of ice hit its target with a bang, while the archer, swarmed by Jr. Lioners, could do little more than swing his bow.
Eventually, the ground was littered with frozen corpses. The archer picked through the mess, hoping to find some mesos. He noticed the mage leaving and thought, "Finally." Unfortunately, just as the wizard was about to leave, he flashed a red-tinted scroll in the hunter's face. "Were you looking for this?"
Level 59
A solitary figure was silhouetted against the moonlight of Henesys. The teenager on the verge of adulthood pushed up his red cap, straightened out his kismet, and strung his Olympus bow, acquired from the weapons manufacturer in Ludibrium's Toy Factory.
What this person was about to do had been done before. Most of those attempts had resulted in failure. However, the archer was certain that he would not be one of those who had failed.
The gates were not open, but that mattered little to him. He quietly leaped over the closed gate, nearly stepping on an Iron Hog in the process. His movement had awakened the steel-clad pigs, but that didn't matter to him. Using Double Shot, he slew them as easily as if they had been snails, the moonlight reflecting off of his deep eyes.
He was the ultimate. Nothing could stop him now as he rushed toward Mushmom's abode, ruthlessly brushing off Iron Hogs as he moved past them. Arrow Bomb? Maxed. Final Attack: Maxed. Soul Arrow? You got it. Power echoed through his veins as he darted towards his target.
He finally reached the last gate. Leaping over and taking out the iron-clad sentinel near it, he settled down on a small vine to wait.
He did not have to wait long. Mushmom leaped out of a nearby bush, shaking the ground with her arrival.
Without delay, he sunk three arrows into her body in quick succession. In fury, she launched herself at him. Thankfully, he did not die, for he had quickly gulped down an Elixir. However, her attacks were merciless and steadily, both hunter and giant mushroom felt themselves wearing down.
Just as the hunter was about to unleash the final attack, though, something barred his way.
A Dragon Knight. One of the legendary spear-users.
"BUSTER!"
Three massive strikes from his spear. Mushmom stumbled and prepared to launch herself at the attacker, but he quickly followed up with another Buster attack. The damage was staggering.
"SACRIFICE!"
Red life flowed from the Dragon Knight into the tip of his spear. He slammed the weapon into Mushmom, impaling her between the eyes. The life drained out of her as her inert body rolled onto the ground. A shiny glint of steel flashed in the moonlight.
The Dragon Knight coolly walked over to the small chunk of metal in the ground. "Another Ilbi. Another day." He strode away, leaving the hunter with his blazing fury.
Unfortunately, in Maple Story, emotions won't get you anywhere.
Level 70
The blonde-haired ranger casually walked among the fields of Henesys, marveling at himself. Despite countless setbacks, here he was. A 3rd job advancer. No longer did he have to stare up at others. It was quite the other way around.
He smiled as a few beginners stared at him and his rather impressive clothing and equipment. The sunlight glinted off of his Blue Patriot helm and his Golden Hinkel.
For once, he believed, nothing could go wrong.
He had advanced from a Level 7 beginner to a Level 70 ranger in 5 years. During that time, he had grown from a young teenager to a fully-grown man. The experience in his eyes showed, every time he picked up his bow. Quickly, the beginners knew they were dealing with a master.
Then, his trained hawk-like eyes narrowed onto a small group of people creating a disturbance. He leaped up and climbed towards the ruffians.
A Level 50 Lightning Wizard, a Level 47 Assassin, and a Level 43 Page. No matter how hard the beginners tried to get in a good hit, the advanced players were one step ahead of them.
"Plz cc!"
"Leave us alone!"
"Stop KSing!"
To which they responded:
"THUNDER BOLT!"
"LUCKY SEVEN!"
"SLASH BLAST!"
The ranger winced slightly as he remembered those words from his past. However, he quickly discarded his fears as he stepped towards the miscreants.
"Could you please leave? You're not making it fair for the others. And besides, you really shouldn't train here anyway. You should go train at, say, Orbis or something."
The leader, the lightning mage, stepped up, matching his glare.
"Yeah? Well, we'll do whatever we want to do, and a stupid stuck-up bowman like you isn't going to make us leave. Go screw yourself, okay?" The wizard then turned and killed a group of monsters with lightning blasts.
A few of the beginners gasped for his utterly rude behavior. The ranger turned to leave. It wasn't his problem if a bunch of stupid pigs weren't going to be rational and polite. People like them were everywhere. You couldn't do anything about them except leave them alone and let them wither away.
However, his thoughts were quickly interrupted when two beginners ventured onto the field to try and get some experience and were quickly KSed by the small party. At this, he finally did something he should have done ages ago.
He snapped, "What are you doing? Get the hell out of here now, or you'll regret it!"
"Oh yeah? Just try and shoot. You can't possibly KS all of us, no matter how fast you are."
At these words, something inside the ranger snapped. A well of primal rage, something that had been bottled up inside him for ages, something that had grown inside him ever since he had first started his journey, simply exploded. It rushed out of him in exhilarating waves as he roared,
"ARROW RAIN!"
A shower of blue shards soared out of the sky, piercing all of the monsters before anyone had a chance to react to this assault. The attack had been swift and effective. None of the monsters were alive as the ranger set down his bow.
"Stupid KSers. You'll never learn."
THE END
Author's Note: Just to let you know, the three meanies at the end of the story were the people that our archer encountered at levels 18, 23, and 26. Coincidence, huh? Well, thanks for reading and I hope you archers enjoyed it!
Although, I'm not saying that all mages and sins are bad. Just some of them.
-;3, Kal Ancalas